Former UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is bidding farewell to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) for good after deciding to give up coaching in order to spend more time with his family.
He announced his decision on social media platforms with his former mentor, Javier Mendez, who trained Khabib and coached alongside him at American Kickboxing Academy, providing more insights into his decision.
“He just doesn’t want to miss being a father,” Mendez said.
“He talked to me about three weeks ago and told me of his plan and said he planned to talk to the team and inform them of his decision. He’s doing this for the right reasons. He’s a family man and he simply wants to spend more time with his family.”
The UFC Hall of Famer had already retired from competing in UFC at UFC 254 in October 2020 after beating Justin Gaethje to improve his record to a perfect 29-0. His father’s passing from Covid complications also had a major impact on his decision to walk away from the sport.
Khabib Nurmagomedov then went into coaching, imparting his and his father’s wisdom to the rest of the fighters.
His protege, Islman Makhachev, also won the lightweight belt after beating Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 under his tutelage. It is unclear whether he will corner Islam when he takes on UFC’s P4P king Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284.
